Until my change has come

6/29

On the steps, this morning, two cardboard beds. Has someone joined human being? Has warm weather increased homelessness on the streets, on the steps? Warmer nights? Sleeping outside? It’s time to catch up on sweeping, take care of accumulated stuff.

Jane walks me back from Starbucks. The bottom line is, we are called by God to our congregations. At any given point, that is our first commitment. All the visions, all the adaptive use, exciting programs are meaningless if there is no living congregation in the house. There would be as Gertrude Stein said of Oakland, no there there. 

Woodshed volunteers are showing up to empty out the rooms, carrying boxes filled with books, papers, detritus of years to be safely stored away.

Jeremy Mage walks in from across the street. Ready to play the piano. I’m working away in the office while he’s cranking out gospel music. Jane calls from the Taco truck. Wants to bring her new assistant over for a tour. And I say sure.  She arrives. The basement is new, so I take her down, being careful of her newly healed foot. I go back to work, leave them to check out the building on their own. 

A little while later, I hear Jane’s voice. Jeremy is playing, she is singing...his eye is on the sparrow and I know he watches me...they try some other song then reaaly settle in on hold on until my change has come..They’ve both been COGIC, ie, Church of God in Christ....I’m off to take some information to Nan at SPSA.. later in the day Jane’ll  text me and say that she and Jeremy would like to sing and play on Sunday.  And I text back amen.

When I return, Hope and I talk. Planning for tonight’s session meeting. How are we going to strenghten the life of our congregation? Revitalize it? Make it a truly spiritual community bound together to each other? Not just on Sunday, but throughout the week? Ted, John and Jon all arrive to talk theory and practice of rentals. What spaces do we need to reserve?  For our own use? Parnership possibilities.  We could just make it. Another tight rope walk. 

Mim joins us. For the end of this meeting and prepare the agenda for tonight. Whe she leaves, I stick around to finish some work. Human being already on the steps.   Place needs a going over before we use it again with session.  Place needs a going over before we use it again with session.

The centre meeting.  Review, evaluation, of the  bridge series, the concerts. And the  session. Lots of time taken up with legal isses, relationships with Presbytery. Questions around Woodshed’s speakeasy. And especially how essential communcation is. People really knowing what’s going on.

We end after 11. As I leave, human being is there. Asleep on the steps. I am very tired. Miss Danielle already. Damn near overwhelmed. ...hold on until my change has come....